Bridges of Santa Fe is a maximum-security prison farm located in Gainesville, Florida. This prison is also known as Gainesville, and nicknamed the “Alcatraz of the South”, “The Gainesville Plantation” and “The Farm.”

Bridges of Santa Fe is the largest maximum-security prison in the United States. This prison currently houses 6,300 inmates and employs 1,800 staff which includes correctional officers, janitors, maintenance workers, and wardens.

The inmates housed at Bridges of Santa Fe are placed according to their custody level which is determined at intake. There are many educational and vocational training programs for all inmates. Bridges of Santa Fe’s mission is to promote and prepare the offender to leave in better shape than when they arrived, giving them the best chance to never return to prison and thus lower the state’s recidivism rate.

The state of Florida considers Gainesville to be a multi-security institution; 99% of the prison’s beds are designated for maximum security inmates. Over half of the inmates in this prison are serving life sentences also this prison is also home to the states male death row inmates.

Every inmate housed at Bridges of Santa Fe has the opportunity to get the services they need. Treatment planning is such an important part of being in Bridges of Santa Fe. That way, when the inmates are ready to be released, they will have a plan for their future.

While inmates are housed in Bridges of Santa Fe, they will have access to various programs: Some of those programs include: